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However, the only nitpick I would have with anything in this episode is the arrow cameo. It honestly felt like it was random as hell, and crammed into the scene.... The episode would had done just fine without Green Arrow there.
And I didn't like the fact that Barry was going to Oliver for advice BEFORE he became the flash. I hope they don't go down the same route they did for the later seasons of Smallville. You know, where they had every other hero talking to Clark and giving him advice all the time before Clark became superman.

Even if the Smallville/Gotham/Arrow/Flash TV series are all in the same universe basically, I would still like each TV Series to stand on it own without utterly random cameos that serves no real purpose.

Great start to series that felt more comic booky than anything else. Lots of easter eggs and foreshadowing of things to come. It felt like a movie and there was a passing of the torch from the original Flash to the new one.

However, the only nitpick I would have with anything in this episode is the arrow cameo. It honestly felt like it was random as hell, and crammed into the scene.... The episode would had done just fine without Green Arrow there.
And I didn't like the fact that Barry was going to Oliver for advice BEFORE he became the flash. I hope they don't go down the same route they did for the later seasons of Smallville. You know, where they had every other hero talking to Clark and giving him advice all the time before Clark became superman.

I didn't mind it, since it's not a bunch before he put the suit on. His first time trying to stop a criminal using his powers resulted in the criminal getting away and a random other person dying when that other car hit the one he flipped. That combined with what both Wells and Detective West had him questioning himself before he really got started. He needed another opinion and Ollie was someone he knew he could trust with his secret who would still be objective.

Just because Eddie Thawne (the series' version of Eobard Thrawne) is a regular cast member doesn't automatically mean he's going to become Professor Zoom/'Reverse Flash'; Harrison Wells' character could very easily be transformed into the series' version of Professor Zoom (more on this below).

Originally Posted by Aurora Moon

Even if the Smallville/Gotham/Arrow/Flash TV series are all in the same universe basically

They're not.

My review:
Although this episode was conceived of and written to be the pilot episode for the series, it feels much more like a direct sequel to the Arrow Season 2 episodes "The Scientist", "Three Ghosts", and "The Man Under the Hood", and I actually think it makes the episode work much better than it otherwise might have. There are definitely moments when it does feel like a pilot, but that's to be expected since the writers couldn't have expected that everyone who watches the show will have seen the above-mentioned Arrow episodes.

I really liked the way the writers structured the episode narratively, starting out in the 'absolute present' before essentially giving us an extended sequence of flashbacks, first to Barry's childhood and then to events that were clearly meant to take place during the events of the Arrow episode "Three Ghosts" (which was a nice little 'easter egg' for fans of Arrow), and then flashing forward (no pun intended) to show us Barry's 're-entry' into the world and the way that he discovers what the explosion did to him and others.

Character-wise, I like that we've got a nice diverse group of people who all have different roles to play in the story, and figured I'd offer up a few thoughts on each individually:

Iris
Iris is clearly meant to be the series' 'Laurel' (the girl Barry can't have), although she also reminds me a little bit of Thea since there's very much a brother/sister-type vibe between the two characters. It will be interesting to see what they do with her going forward, and how long it takes her before she actually figures out that Barry's pining for her and that he's now got superpowers (because she's going to have to eventually, especially given that her dad's in on Barry's little secret).

Detective West
He's clearly meant to be an analogue of Arrow's Quentin Lance and John Diggle, serving as both the series' lead civilian law enforcer and as one of Barry's chief confidantes, and this combination of roles is going to be something that I think will help keep the character from getting lost in the shuffle, which seemed to sometimes happen to Quentin.

Caitlin Snow
She seems to very much be the series' analogue to Felicity, but she also reminds me quite a bit of the characters of Alfred Pennyworth and Barbara Gordon (particularly the version of that character seen in the 2002 failed WB series Birds of Prey). It's going to be interesting to see where her character goes and whether or not the PtBs have plans to use her supervillain alter-ego from the comics or if they opt just to keep her as one of Barry's civilian allies.

Cisco Ramon
He doesn't seem to have a direct analogue on Arrow, although he does remind me quite a bit of Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It will be interesting to see if they give his character more to do in future episodes besides just being the 'techie' behind Barry's 'toys and gadgets', because I think there's a lot of potential there for him to fill a sort of Robin-esque role in Barry's life, either in a civilian capacity or in the capacity of his superhero identity from the comics.

Harrison Wells
He strikes me as being the series' analogue to both Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson, and it will be really interesting to see how he's used in future episodes. I also think there's a real strong possibility that he's being set up to become the series' version of Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash, even with a character whose name is clearly derived from that character's comic-book alter-ego (more on this below).0

Eddie Thawne
This character's name is clearly derived from Eobard Thrawne, the comic-book alter-ego of the above-mentioned Professor Zoom, but he seems much more likely to be the series' analogue to Tommy Merlyn in that he's there to be an obstacle to Barry and Iris being together. He also reminds me somewhat of Harvey Bullock from Gotham, albeit without Harvey's darker edge. We'll see where the writers go with his character in future episodes.

In terms of recurring characters, I'm interested in seeing where they go with Henry Allen; he seems to be set up as the series' analogue to Moira Queen, but given that Susanna Thompson was a series regular on Arrow and he's only a guest star here, I'm not entirely sure how much involvement he's going to have as things progress, which is kind of sad because I like the relationship he has with Barry and am interested in seeing more of his background. Captain David Singh (who seems like the other major recurring character introduced in the episode) is hard to get a read on because I don't know if they really needed him in the episode, but we'll see what happens.

Somebody above complained about Oliver Queen's cameo in this episode, but I personally think it was a nice touch because it allowed the writers to do something that is kind of crucial for the series as a whole - explaining/offering context for why Barry does what he does going forward - in a non-traditional fashion that also paid homage to the fact that the series is part of a shared universe (it reminds me of the way that the writers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer reminded viewers that it and ANGEL were connected without having to actually do explicit cross-overs between the two series). I did wonder why Oliver wasn't wearing the domino mask that Barry gave him, if only because it makes me question where the scene takes place relative to what's happened/will happen on Arrow itself.

I do wish I'd been able to re-watch the 3 Arrow episodes that serve as sort of a precursor to this episode, but that's only because I'm a bit of a completist nerd; the episode stands very well on its own, and was a nice way to set up the series going forward.

Over 3 years ago the show we fans loved ended. That show was Smallville. Tonight the new era has begun. We have our new Smallville. The Flash is the show we can love, follow, discuss and count the seconds between each episode. I want more and after seeing the first episode the sky is most definitely the limit with this show. Run Barry run!

I think the series has more in common with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and non-supernatural fare like One Tree Hill than it does with Smallville, but maybe that's just me. There were a few moments where I did get a Smallville-esque vibe, but I don't think it's going to end up being anything like that series when all is said and done.

I've avoided this thread as I didn't want to be spoiled and avoided any spoilers all together. Anyway, I was pleased with the show. That ending had me very intrigued! It also took me a minute to realize what happened to Barry's mom. Looking forward to more!

Over 3 years ago the show we fans loved ended. That show was Smallville. Tonight the new era has begun. We have our new Smallville. The Flash is the show we can love, follow, discuss and count the seconds between each episode. I want more and after seeing the first episode the sky is most definitely the limit with this show. Run Barry run!

That was my thought exactly. I don't watch Arrow, I did watch a couple of episodes of the first season but I didn't like it. The Flash reminded me of Smallville, it had the same feel to it, I think I'm going to like this show.

However, the only nitpick I would have with anything in this episode is the arrow cameo. It honestly felt like it was random as hell, and crammed into the scene.... The episode would had done just fine without Green Arrow there.
And I didn't like the fact that Barry was going to Oliver for advice BEFORE he became the flash. I hope they don't go down the same route they did for the later seasons of Smallville. You know, where they had every other hero talking to Clark and giving him advice all the time before Clark became superman.

Even if the Smallville/Gotham/Arrow/Flash TV series are all in the same universe basically, I would still like each TV Series to stand on it own without utterly random cameos that serves no real purpose.

I agree with Starsaber, I think Barry, having access to someone who had already gone down the "costumed vigilante" road, would decide to ask his advice. Seemed natural and I enjoyed that each thinks the other is "Cool."

Ollie didn't wear the mask during the beginning of the scene (since Barry knows who he is anyway) but before he leapt from the building, he was wearing it. They never showed him put it on, but it's there when he tells Barry to, "Wear a mask."

I'm so happy to read some of these comments while I was watching tonight's episode I couldn't help but get a strong Smallville vibe from it. I too tried watching Arrow and after one episode I knew it wasn't something that was for me. I may try again later though but with the Flash, I instantly felt a connection, that Smallville connection. I want to learn about each and every character that comes across my screen. I want to learn more about Barry's life growing up, I want to learn more about the Flash mythos. Like Smallville my knowledge of the comic book hero was limited to general explanations provided through pop culture. With this show I want to go a bit deeper and connect to the superhero and get excited for anything else associated with him just as I am today with Superman.

Ollie didn't wear the mask during the beginning of the scene (since Barry knows who he is anyway) but before he leapt from the building, he was wearing it. They never showed him put it on, but it's there when he tells Barry to, "Wear a mask."

Good eye.

I said this on another board, but this show strikes me as being very much the Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Arrow's ANGEL, and it's going to be fun seeing how the two series impact each other either directly or indirectly.

This show isn't going to be anything like Smallville aside from some perhaps minor tonal similarities and perhaps somewhat the set up for various others having powers can be called back to meteor freaks even though Smallville wasn't the first to do the whole "disaster gives people powers" thing either. I highly doubt Iris is going to get Lana'd and also go multiple seasons without learning about Barry. I doubt it'll go more than two seasons and with the way the people in charge have handled Arrow, hell I wouldn't be surprised if she finds out by the end of the first season. Plus character-wise Barry is totally a different character from what Smallville's Clark.

Don't mind me though, season 10 of Smallville and especially the finale left me with a very bitter taste and largely ruined the series for me. I just hate seeing Smallville brought up in comparison to Arrow and in proxy this show due to the large amount of negative connotations it brings when it's usually done by people who want to slight it just because it's on the CW.

Originally Posted by RichardGrayson

Ollie didn't wear the mask during the beginning of the scene (since Barry knows who he is anyway) but before he leapt from the building, he was wearing it. They never showed him put it on, but it's there when he tells Barry to, "Wear a mask."

When they cut back to Ollie his hand/arm is going back down to his side, indicating he just put it on off camera.

Originally Posted by DigificWriter

In terms of recurring characters, I'm interested in seeing where they go with Henry Allen; he seems to be set up as the series' analogue to Moira Queen, but given that Susanna Thompson was a series regular on Arrow and he's only a guest star here, I'm not entirely sure how much involvement he's going to have as things progress, which is kind of sad because I like the relationship he has with Barry and am interested in seeing more of his background.

Curious how you figure he's an analogue to Moira aside from both being the parent of the lead character, that's pretty much the only thing I see them having in common aside from the loving their children part. Character wise they're a world apart. Though [SPOILER]they might share the same fate even if under different circumstances.[/SPOILER]